FM35 H is for Happiness is a Cup of Hot Chocolate
by Miz Em
Summary: Granger Clan Saga. Colby and the kids make hot chocolate for Hannah one Mother's Day.


**A/N:** Colby and the kids make hot chocolate   
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"Keeley, it's time to get up." Colby murmured to five-year-old Keeley. He smiled when she blinked sleepily at him. He knew she'd been awake, just unwilling to get up and going.

"Daddy, did you just come home?" little Keeley yawned. "Are you going to bed now?"

"No, sweetie. It's Sunday morning, Mother's Day. Remember we were going to make hot chocolate for Mama?" Colby pulled Keeley into his arms and buried his nose in her neck. She giggled when he blew a raspberry in her neck. He held her close for another minute, thanking God for her, for all his children, and most of all, for Hannah.

He gathered one-year-old Verity in his arms and beckoned to Keeley, "Come on, let's get your brothers and we'll go make the hot chocolate."

Colby laughed to see Brandon still sprawled in sleep while Tyler and Cameron were already playing with their toys on the floor of their room. It wasn't difficult to see which of the children took after Hannah in that respect. Although Hannah had somehow managed to deal with getting up a little more quickly for the children, it wasn't anywhere near his idea of quick.

"Daddy! You're home!" Four-year-old Cameron launched himself at his father. "Did you work all night?" His eyes were huge with surprise.

"You still have your jacket on, Daddy," Tyler piped up.

And he did, Colby mused as he caught Cameron with his free arm and pulled him close for a hug. He had left his Kevlar jacket on, in a hurry because he had wanted to get home to the kids as quickly as possible. He had promised to show them how to make hot chocolate for Mother's Day. Lucky we wrapped the case last night, he thought to himself.

"Come on, let's wake Brandon and get started. We need to hurry, or Mama will be awake soon." Colby almost laughed aloud when Brandon refused to budge. That was Hannah to the core. "Hot chocolate, Brandon." He grinned when Brandon finally got moving, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He pouts just like Hannah too, Colby laughed to himself.

"Now everyone be quiet going downstairs. We don't want to wake Mama." The exaggerated movements the children made as they tiptoed down the hall and down the stairs strained Colby's control over his own laughter. It wouldn't do to be the one to wake Hannah, Colby thought, chuckling. He choked back a laugh when Keeley turned around and said "Shhhh!" really loudly to Brandon, who had thumped down a step or two.

Colby settled Verity in her high chair, and gave her a piece of chocolate to keep her quiet. "Alright, each one of you is going to do something, okay? You think you can manage?" He grinned at the earnest nods from each child. They look just like angels, he thought tenderly.

"Daddy's going to mix the milk with a little water, then microwave it. Here, help Daddy put the mugs out. One for everybody, and this extra special big mug for Mama." Colby handed each child a mug from the cupboard.

"Alright, Keeley, you tear these pouches of Swiss Miss Sugar Free Hot Chocolate and pour one pouch into each mug. Okay? You got that?" He smiled proudly when Keeley managed to tear the pouches and pour the contents into the mugs without spilling anything.

"Now you, Tyler. Add a teaspoon of cocoa powder to each mug." Colby grinned at the picture Tyler made, his tongue sticking out as he measured a spoonful of cocoa powder into each mug. He laughed when Tyler spilled a teaspoon onto the table.

"Oops!" Tyler looked wide-eyed at his father.

"It's okay, I'll clean it up later. Alright the milk is next." He turned to get the heated milk from the microwave, and burst out laughing when he turned around and caught Brandon and Cameron carefully gathering up the spilled cocoa powder and licking it off their hands. "No. That's not what I mean when I said clean it up. Now come on, behave."

They just grinned at him. They knew how he sounded when he was angry and this wasn't it.

"Alright, alright. Daddy's going to add the milk and stir it all up." He grinned at their wide-eyed looks as he stirred the milk into the powdered mixture. "Keeley, get the whipped cream, and squirt some on top of the hot chocolate in each mug."

Keeley shook up the can and pressed the nozzle. Nothing happened. She looked into the nozzle and pressed, squirting herself with a dollop of cream. She blinked in surprise, then looked annoyed when her father and brothers burst into laughter.

"Let's try to get the cream on the hot chocolate, okay, sweetie?" Colby struggled to control his mirth at the look on her face. He sighed with relief when she managed each mug without further mishap.

"Cameron, you're next. A swirl of honey on the whipped cream. Can you do that? No, no, wait till you've got the squeeze bottle over the mug before you squeeze it." But Cameron had already squeezed some over himself before he managed to get some honey on the whipped cream.

There's no doubt it'll be a massive clean up project after this, Colby grinned to himself.

"Chocolate sprinkles next, Brandon. Think you can handle it? Get it into the mugs not on the floor!" Colby sat back in his chair and laughed helplessly. He'd lost control and he knew it. A flash went off, and he looked in surprise at the door, and saw Hannah laughing as she took another picture.

"Happy Mother's Day!" The children chorused excitedly.

"We made you hot chocolate, Mama!" Keeley said proudly. "I put the chocolate in, and the whipped cream too!"

Cameron nudged her aside, "I put the honey in, Mama!"

"Chocolate sprinkles!" Brandon shouted, as he shoved a handful of the chocolate sprinkles into his mouth.

"I put the cocoa powder in!" Tyler tried to shove Cameron out of the way, getting honey from Cameron's clothing onto his own in the process.

Hannah leaned against the doorjamb, weak with laughter at the mess. "You ARE cleaning this up, aren't you, Agent Granger?"

"Yes, ma'am," Colby said as solemnly as he could. Then he leaned back in his chair, and laughed again when he saw the honey and chocolate mess on his Kevlar. "I'll never hear the end of it if I don't get this mess off my vest."

Hannah giggled. "Whose bright idea was it anyway?"

"Guilty as charged," Colby grinned. "Come drink your hot chocolate while it's still hot. Happiness is a cup of chocolate. Or so you told me once."

Hannah smiled tenderly at him. "Happiness is being with you."


End file.
